Magic Johnson joins ESPN

Earvin “Magic” Johnson has joined ESPN as an NBA studio analyst and will mainly work with Stuart Scott, Mike Wilbon and Jon Barry on ABC’s GMC NBA Countdown. He will provide analysis on Christmas Day – when ABC and ESPN combine to showcase an NBA tripleheader (beginning at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN) – and contribute to the networks’ post-season studio coverage. The announcement was made by Norby Williamson, executive vice president, production.

“Magic has always been one of the most accomplished people in every field he has endeavored. He was an incomparable player and has become one of the best NBA analysts in the business. His unique insights, perspective and personality will be the perfect complement to Stuart (Scott), Mike (Wilbon) and Jon (Barry),” said Williamson.

“I am thrilled to be a part of the ESPN family. I look forward to working with a great team and covering all the big NBA events,” said Johnson. “Christmas Day can’t come soon enough for me.”

Johnson comes to ESPN from Turner Sports, where he was an NBA analyst for seven years, primarily on TNT’s Thursday night NBA coverage. Johnson appeared on ESPN and ABC as a guest studio analyst during Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals.

He is one of the NBA’s 50 greatest players in history and won five NBA championships with the L.A. Lakers, an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and a NCAA championship. He is one of only seven players in the history of the sport to capture the latter three accolades. He was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player three times (1987, 1989, 1990). He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

ESPN and Jeff Van Gundy sign extension

Former NBA head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who joined ESPN during the 2007 NBA Playoffs and provided game analysis for the entire 2007-08 season, has agreed to an exclusive multi-year agreement with the network.  Van Gundy will continue to provide analysis alongside play-by-play commentator Mike Breen and analyst Mark Jackson as the lead commentary team for games on ESPN and ABC – the home of the NBA Finals.

“It was a very difficult decision to forego coaching for the next five years, but I enjoyed myself so much last year working with Mike (Breen) and Mark (Jackson), that I decided to make this long-term commitment to broadcasting with ESPN,” said Jeff Van Gundy.

Norby Williamson, executive vice president, production, said, “We’re thrilled Jeff has decided to focus on broadcasting.  Our team of Mike, Mark and Jeff has great chemistry and offers diverse perspectives, which makes every broadcast unique.”

Van Gundy last coached in the NBA during the 2006-07 season, guiding the Houston Rockets to a 52-30 record – the team’s best mark since 1997 – despite a lengthy injury sustained by perennial All-Star Yao Ming.  Van Gundy’s Rockets lost in the final game of a best-of-seven first-round playoff series.

Van Gundy was the head coach of the Houston Rockets for four seasons from 2004-07, leading the team to a 182-146 record.  He previously was head coach of the New York Knicks from 1995-2001, when his team won 248 games and made the playoffs six times (including an NBA Finals appearance in 1999).  Van Gundy was an NBA analyst with Turner Sports during the 2002-03 season.

Prior to his NBA coaching experience, Van Gundy was an assistant coach at Rutgers and Providence.  He graduated from Nazareth College in 1985.

Wolves waive Rafael Araujo

The Minnesota Timberwolves today announced the team has released center Rafael Araujo. The Timberwolves’ roster now stands at 18 players.

Araujo, a 6-11 center from BYU, played five minutes (one point, two rebounds) in two preseason games for the Wolves. A former first-round pick of the Toronto Raptors, he signed with the Timberwolves on Sept. 29.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Araujo will probably head overseas.

Okafor no.1 at getting stuffed

The Charlotte Observer (Rick Bonnell) reports: Friday morning I asked Charlotte Bobcats center Emeka Okafor why so many of his shots were blocked last season. The question mystified him. “You think I get my shot blocked a lot?” he replied. Why, yes, I told him, about once a game. Then I passed along a statistic published on espn.com: That 12 percent of Okafor’s shots were rejected last season, the highest such percentage in the NBA. It never occurred to him how susceptible he was to shot blockers, and apparently no one from the previous coaching staff raised the issue with him last season. “It’s a fluke,” Okafor said with a shrug. “That’s all I can say about it.”

Oct 11: Warriors 122, Thunder 102

The AP reports: Marco Belinelli had 22 points and six assists and Al Harrington added 16 points and nine rebounds to help the Golden State Warriors beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 122-102 in exhibition play Saturday night. DeMarcus Nelson, one of a handful of guards the Warriors (2-1) are looking at as a possible replacement for the injured and suspended Monta Ellis, added 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds. He had two thunderous dunks, both in the second half. Kevin Durant had 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Thunder (0-3), who shot just 38.6 percent from the floor to remain winless in the preseason. Damien Wilkins added 23 points, and Chris Wilcox had 15 points and eight rebounds.

Oct 11: Nuggets 77, Suns 72

The AP reports: Whether it was the wind, the temperature or just a different environment to play in, the NBA’s first outdoor game in more than three decades was an offensive struggle. The Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 77-72 on Saturday night in the exhibition game billed as “NBA Outdoors!” at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Both teams struggled from the field and the free-throw line and combined to go 3-of-27 from 3-point range on a night when the temperature dipped into the 60s with some wind hitting the court by the end of the game.

Insidehoops.com Stat Notes: For the Nuggets, JR Smith (just 6-of-16) had 12 points. Mateen Cleaves (4-of-5) scored 11 off the bench. Nene (4-of-10) had 10 points and 7 rebounds. No other Denver players reached double digits. Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson didn’t play. For the Suns, Steve Nash (5-of-12) had 16 points, just 2 assists and 6 turnovers. Raja Bell (3-of-8) scored 9. Robin Lopez (4-of-7) had 8 off the bench. The Nuggets shot just 37.7%, the Suns just 33.3%. The Nuggets hit just 1-of-10 three-pointers, the Suns just 2-of-14. The Nuggets hit just 50% of their free throws, while the Suns connected on 69.2%. Rebounding was close. The two teams combined to dish just 15 total assists.

Oct 11: Pistons 111, Bucks 99

The AP reports: Arron Afflalo scored 28 points and Rodney Stuckey added 15 to help the Detroit Pistons remain perfect in the preseason with a 111-99 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night… Charlie Villanueva led the Bucks (0-4) with 26 points and Michael Redd had 17.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Even though it’s just a preseason game, Afflalo putting up 28 points is a nice sign for Detroit.

Oct 11: Celtics 90, Rockets 89

The AP reports: Gabe Pruitt banked in a 13-foot shot with 6.6 seconds left to give the NBA champion Boston Celtics a 90-89 exhibition victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. Paul Pierce led Boston (2-1) with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Glen Davis had 12 points, Kevin Garnett and Leon Powe added 10 each, and Pruitt had eight. Yao Ming led Houston (2-1) with 16 points, Luis Scola added 14 and Ron Artest had 13.

Grizzlies waive Malick Badiane

The Memphis Grizzlies waived forward/center Malick Badiane (pronounced Muh-LEEK BAHD-ee-EN), Grizzlies General Manager and Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Wallace announced today.

Badiane, who signed on Sept. 30, appeared in one preseason game vs. Washington on Oct. 8, logging one minute.

The current roster stands at 15 players.

The Grizzlies host the Indiana Pacers at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 13 at the FedExForum.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Badiana is from Senegal and played professionally in Germany.

Warriors suspend Monta Ellis 30 games

The Golden State Warriors have suspended guard Monta Ellis for 30 games for violating Paragraph 12 of the Uniform Player Contract, it was announced today by President Robert Rowell. The suspension will take effect immediately and will extend through the team’s December 17th contest against the Indiana Pacers.

“The cooperation that we received from Jeff Fried (Monta’s representative) enabled us to be very diligent in collecting all of the facts surrounding the incident,” Rowell said. “This 30-game suspension is a result of that. From this point forward, it is the complete focus of everyone involved to provide Monta with all the support he needs to have a successful rehabilitation, and to get him back on the court as an integral part of this team.”

The Warriors will host the Oklahoma City Thunder at ORACLE Arena tonight at 7:30 p.m. Robert Rowell will be available to the media at 6:15 p.m. prior to the game in the Interview Room.

SportsTicker reports: The Golden State Warriors suspended guard Monta Ellis for 30 games without pay Saturday for violating terms of his new contract. Ellis, who signed a six-year, $66 million extension this offseason, suffered a torn ligament in his left ankle as a result of a moped accident this past August. The 22-year-old Ellis initially told the Warriors that he had suffered the injury during a pickup basketball game in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. But the Warriors ultimately learned that Ellis was injured from the moped, a direct violation of his new contract.

InsideHoops.com editor says: It’s understandable that the Warriors have no interest in paying Monta Ellis to sit out injured while he hurt himself doing something his contract prohibited. They must have decided that he’ll miss at least 30 games, and settled on the 30 number as covering themselves without being excessive. This makes sense.